QUESTION: Would you please give people some information on Arnold-Chiari? I'm 43 and just found out a week ago.
I did have a bone removed 3 years ago that was pinching my spinal cord.
The doctors say they want to wait before they do more surgery.
Can you explain this condition for me and what my outcome will be?
ANSWER: The condition which bears the name of two German physicians who first described it back in the 1890's results from a congenital deformity of the occipital bone, which forms the back of the skull, and the upper end of the spine.
Because the occipital bone is flattened, a portion of the brain may move downward through the large hole in this bone (called the foramen magnum) and come to rest in the neck portion of the spinal canal.
This can provoke a wide variety of symptoms, including headaches, vomiting, visual troubles including double vision dizziness and sometimes weakness of the arms and legs. Although these problems may develop during childhood, the symptoms start most often in adults between the ages of 30 and 60.
It affects both sexes with about equal frequency, and the reason for the changes in these bones is still unknown.
Physicians may use a number of techniques to discover the extent of the condition, including myelography.
This technique uses x-rays and a radio-opaque substance (sometimes misnamed a "dye") injected into the space in the spinal cord to obtain a picture of the location of the brain tissue.
CT scans have also proved useful.
The need for additional surgery will depend upon the findings of these tests and your own condition.
If the first operation was sufficient to remove your symptoms, more surgery may not be necessary, and waiting is just fine.
It is hard for me to predict an outcome, for this varies greatly with the individual and the extent of the changes in your structures; but a frank and open discussion with your physicians, who seem to have the situation in hand, should provide you with their opinion.
I would hope they could give you an optimistic report, for this condition can be helped.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
